Minister recalls 2001 Jos violence, unveils AI camera deployment plan

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has pledged to deploy a network of Artificial Intelligence-enabled surveillance cameras across Plateau State, beginning in the capital, Jos.

The move, he said, is part of efforts to improve security in the state and other parts of the country.

Tijani made this known hours after President Bola Tinubu visited Jos over the Palm Sunday attack that claimed 28 lives and injured others.

In a statement posted on X on Thursday, the minister recounted his experience as a 24-year-old student at the University of Jos during the 2001 crisis.

“I was 24, a student at the University of Jos, when the first major attack struck our city.

“Twenty-five years later, Jos, and indeed Plateau State, is still searching for lasting peace. This is not just a memory for me; it is a responsibility.

“One of the most important missions my team and I will ever take on is to help secure a future where Jos truly knows peace again,” Tijani wrote.

Speaking earlier in the day in a video of a press briefing alongside state officials he shared, the minister confirmed directives from Tinubu to install CCTV cameras in Plateau.

“We will work with the governor to ensure that we can deepen the core digital infrastructure that we have. But on top of that as well, we will install a network of artificial intelligence-enabled cameras all over the state, starting with Jos.

“And this is not an empty promise. We already have similar solutions in states like Lagos and Enugu, and it works really well,” Tijani said

He described the ongoing insecurity as personally heartbreaking, noting that his ministry would mobilise all available resources to support the project.

PUNCH Online had reported that the President, while giving the order, said the surveillance technology would enable real-time crime detection, faster security response times, and improved coordination between agencies.